Army & Navy Shoe Sale 2013

It’s that time of year again.  Imagine a room full of rows upon rows of racks of beautiful shoes.  More shoes than you would even have time to try on.  But you attempt to anyway.  That’s right, ladies, the Legendary Army & Navy Shoe Sale is only a few days away.  And I do mean legendary in every sense of the word.  On Wednesday, April 24th, Army & Navy will open its doors at 8:00 am sharp for eager women in search of the perfect shoes.  This is the 64th year that they’ve held this sale and things only get better with time.  I’ve been to this sale for the past three years and each time have been increasingly impressed with their selections.  They receive well over 100,000 pairs for the sale and are constantly restocking throughout the twelve days.

This year I had the privilege of meeting with footwear buyer Silvio Urbani, who showed me where all the many boxes of shoes are being stored awaiting the sale.  I was in awe when I saw all the boxes and skids in the warehouse, just wondering what shoes each one held.  I almost felt compelled to grab a box cutter and tear them all apart.  But I resisted the urge, as I did not wish to be banned from the store.  Instead I listened intently and contained my excitement.

With over 85 brands to choose from, there’s something for everyone.  Clarks, GUESS, Kelsi Dagger, BCBG, Nine West, Steve Madden, Qupid, Andrew Geller, just to name a few.  I hear that Pour La Victoires are supposed to be a hot seller this year.  But how could they not be?  They’re gorgeous.  And I’m not crazy or shoe obsessed.  Okay, who am I kidding, clearly I am.  But take my word for it anyway.  As a bargain shopper, I know what I’m talking about.  Just because you’re paying less for something, doesn’t mean that it’s cheap or that you’re not getting your money’s worth.  At Army & Navy, you’re definitely getting more than your money’s worth.  Every pair of shoes at the sale is priced at $40 or less, regardless of how much the original cost was.  You really can’t go wrong.

Sales this massive may seem intimidating to first timers.  But don’t worry, I promise you it won’t be the chaotic, dramatic, aggressive scene that you’re picturing.  Over the years, people have actually become more pleasant.  Rather than women fighting over shoes, there is now often a sense of camaraderie among them.  Last year, I met a lot of great people at the sale.  We sat together trying on our shoes, complimenting our various choices and giving our opinions.  The staff are also amazing and baskets are provided for those of us who like to try on as many as we possibly can all at once.  Shoppers are generally respectful and the sale is a real community building event where women can share their love of shoes.

There are usually about 30,000 customers between the 6 stores each year.  Store locations are in Vancouver, New Westminster, Langley, Edmonton, and Calgary.  I’ve only ever been to the  Downtown Vancouver location on 36 West Cordova Street.  That place is like my home away from home.  I always feel welcome there and they always meet my needs.  With over 100,000 pairs of shoes, you’re bound to find at least one perfect pair.  Last year, I believe I found eleven.  On day one.  Apparently that’s a lot?  Each person buys about 3.5 pairs on average at the sale.  So you know, there are a lot of practical and reasonable shoppers out there.  And then the few excessive and compulsive buyers like myself come along.  Because shoe sales are where we belong.

It’s recommended that you go early to make sure you get the deals.  I mean, everything’s a deal, but the nicest pairs go fast if you don’t hurry.  Doors open at 8:00 am on Wednesday, but people start lining up as early as 5:30 am.  Yes, while the rest of you are still asleep, a few crazy dedicated shoe lovers are out bright and early beginning to form what eventually becomes a massive lineup along Cordova Street.  Rain or shine, nothing gets in the way of a a new pair of shoes.

If lineups and ridiculously early mornings aren’t your thing but you don’t want to miss out on first dibs at shoes, don’t fret, there is another way.  Contests!  I’m not just a bargain shopper and a shoe lover, I’m also a contest enthusiast.  So I’m going to go ahead and tell you about the ways in which you can possibly win VIP access to the shoe sale.  Because knowledge like this is too good to keep to myself.  First off, what is VIP access?  Pretty much, you get to skip the line, enter the store before it opens to the public, and go try on shoes before everybody else.  So yeah, it’s kind of a big deal.

To win VIP access for you and 3 friends, plus a $250 shopping spree, simply click here and fill out the entry form.  I wish you luck!  Because we all deserve a new pair of shoes.  And the only thing better than a new pair of shoes is a free new pair of shoes.  There’s also a contest on the Army & Navy Facebook page where you can win a $100 gift card by uploading a 30 second video clip about your favourite Army & Navy moment.  I may enter myself, but there are too many good moments to choose from.  And you can win VIP access through their Shoe of the Week contest.  You can also win a new pair of shoes plus VIP access through Vancity Buzz.  It would also be worthwhile to tune in to your local radio stations and see if they might be giving away any VIP access prizes as well.

If you’re unable to make it first thing in the morning on day one, it’s okay.  New stock fills those shelves everyday.  There’s room for 30,000 pairs on the shop floor and staff keep busy filling them throughout the day.  Every two hours or so is a good time to hit the sale, in between the spurts of crowds.  There is more selection this year than ever before and always something for everyone.  It’s not just all about heels.  If you prefer comfort, you don’t have to sacrifice style, as there are plenty of great flats, sandals, athletic, and walking shoes to choose from.  If you’re anywhere between a size 5 and a size 11, there’s sure to be a pair for you.  And while men’s shoes aren’t advertised as part of the sale, the store actually does have a great selection of them at reduced prices.  Literally something for everyone.

So next Wednesday, I will be at 36 West Cordova Street at 7:00 am.  Because clearly I had to book a day off work for this.  It’s become a bit of a tradition for me.  It’s like a sign that spring is finally here.  And with spring, comes an excuse to buy new weather appropriate footwear.  Which in Vancouver is sometimes rain boots as opposed to sandals.  But Army & Navy has plenty of both so they got you covered.  The sale runs from April 24th to May 5th.  Hope to see you there!

Farewell red rain boots, you’ve served me well, but now it’s time for you to die

Remember a few years ago when I bought a pair of red rain boots at Army & Navy? Well I did. And they were wonderful. I loved them more than any other boot. So much so that I wore them all the time. Sometimes even when it wasn’t raining. Because I could.

Well folks, those days have come to a sad end. I knew they were worn out. But I like to wait until the last possible moment before I finally give up on something. I guess that moment was yesterday, when the zipper broke on my right boot. I have the worst luck with zippers. I’ve lost many a boot that way. But none that I loved as much as these.

And yes, I am aware I already acknowledged this travesty in one of my creepy poems written to inanimate objects yesterday. But I felt they deserved to be acknowledged in a slightly less creepy way as well. I feel I owe them that much.

It’s sad when the zipper breaks and you have to walk around in the rain with taped up boots.

I guess this is goodbye

You were always there for me.
Whenever I wanted you.
Whenever I needed you.
Always looking so vibrant and so alive.
Always ready for whatever adventure I might take you on.
I fear I may have used you too often.
Perhaps it’s my fault what inevitably happened.
I don’t blame you for one second.
Other were noticing that you were beginning to grow old beyond your years.
That you were no longer beautiful like you once were.
They told me that it was time to get rid of you.
But I refused.
In my eyes, your beauty did not fade, no matter how worn you began to look.
I held on still, for as long as I possibly could.
But I guess this is finally the end.

………………………………………………………..

So yeah, my red rain boots finally broke beyond repair.  It is truly a sad day.

Merry Christmas!

Rather than write you a heartfelt Christmas message, I will simply leave you with a picture of me in the over the top festive ostentatious Christmas outfit that I wore to Celebrities over the weekend.  I thought more people were going to dress up.  They didn’t.  But I rocked my outfit anyway.

Merry Christmas!

I need new pants

The other day, I wore a pair of jeans that had a hole in the crotch. Even though I knew they had a hole in the crotch. Because I couldn’t find any other pants. That was kind of a fail. Right now, I may or may not be wearing leggings as pants. I’m not sure which is worse. Where can I buy a good pair of pants?

I Am Downtown Shopping Night: Part 2, Pretty Penny Contest

In my last post, I talked about how I went to the I am downtown shopping event at Pacific Centre last Wednesday night.  But I haven’t yet told you about the best part of the night.  After getting our photos taken, sampling cookies and smoothies, and spinning the prize wheel again, we went back upstairs to where the fashion show had been, where they were now holding what they called the Pretty Penny Contest.  There were two mannequins, one male, and one female, and they were both decked out in fabulous outfits.  It was our job to guess how much each outfit was worth.  The person who got the closest to the actual amount, would win $1000 shopping spree at Pacific Centre.  Who wouldn’t want that?!  We knew we had to enter.

If there’s a shopping spree to be won, you know I’ll be there.

I’ve never thought myself to be very good at guessing these types of things.  When I would go grocery shopping with my dad, he would sometimes tell me to guess the amount of the groceries and offer to give me ten bucks if I guessed within ten dollars or something.  I often failed.  And watching The Price is Right, I would always think about how much I would suck if I were to compete on that show.  And when it comes to fashion, I am always in awe of how much things cost in certain stores, because I’m the type of person who will always buy stuff on sale.  How was I supposed to know how much these clothes were worth, when clearly, they were far too fancy for my taste?

But a contest is a contest, and I had to try.  A couple people got yelled at for touching the clothes.  Apparently that wasn’t allowed, but there was no sign there to indicate that.  It felt like we were in a museum and we weren’t allowed to touch the art.  We were trying to figure out where the clothes on the male mannequin were from.  This guy who was there was like “I’ll give you a hint, guess where the clothes are from.  You need to guess where the clothes are from.”  So yeah, he was basically hinting at the fact that most of the outfit was from GUESS.  But that didn’t help me, since I don’t shop there.  Especially not for guys clothes.  But I made my guess and submitted my ballot.

You got to enter one ballot for the male, and one for the female and there were two shopping sprees to be won.  They would then read through all the submissions and determine which answers were closest to the exact amounts.  The winners would be announced at 8:45, and you had to be present at that time in order to win.  So we walked around some more and waited for the time to finally arrive.

We lingered by the stage and counted down the minutes until the winners would be announced.  Then we stood off to the side, as security urged everyone to step away from the stage.  This was a serious matter.  As we waited, we noticed this one guy had a piece of paper in his hand with a bunch of calculations.  He had taken this whole thing very seriously.  Apparently he had actually spent time going around the mall to the various stores and finding the actual items, and then adding up and calculating the costs.  Way to take the fun out of a contest.  The rest of us just pulled numbers out of our ass.

That mannequin sure has expensive taste.

They started with the male outfit.  The total cost of his outfit was $618.  I know, that mannequin has really expensive taste.  At first I thought they said the winner was a man.  But I think they were actually saying that the person’s name was Aman.  But whoever he was, was nowhere to be found.  And so they went to the second closest guess.  Which was $622.  I know, only $4 off!  What genius was able to guess so accurately?  Was it the guy who painstakingly calculated everything?  Was it some expert on men’s fashion?  Was it someone with high class and expensive taste?  Nope.  It was me!

I went up to the stage to claim my prize.

That’s right, I won!  I won $1000 shop card.  Well, two $500 shop cards if you want to get technical about it.  But yes.  Biggest prize I’ve ever won ever!  I got to go up to the stage and accept my prize while a photographer took a picture of me next to the mannequin.  I thought we made a great couple.

Don’t we make such a great couple?

As I went back to where my friends were, the guy with the calculations stopped me and angrily said “What was your bid?”.  And so I told him.  Apparently he had guessed $630 or something like that.  And apparently the whole time I was up onstage, he was swearing, muttering, and complaining about the whole thing.  He was so angry.  I was actually kind of scared that he might hunt me down and mug me for the gift cards that he thought should be rightfully his.  At the end of it all, he actually went up to the people in charge and complained.  He showed them his calculations and complained about how he’d wasted his time.  I’m not sure how they resolved that but I’m wondering if security might have had to get involved at some point.

I almost felt like a celebrity as I posed onstage while people took photos and congratulated me.

For the women’s outfit, there seemed to be a bit of confusion, because they wrote down the person’s name wrong at first.  I forget what her name was anyway.  But another girl won the shop cards for that one.  I wasn’t paying much attention at that point, since I was still in shock that I had actually won.  And for the men’s outfit!  I know nothing whatsoever about men’s fashion.  But I did estimate random amounts in my head for each piece of clothing he was wearing.  I’m not sure how I arrived at such a close guess.  But I was feeling pretty good about it.  I think maybe I should go on The Price is Right or something.  Why waste such a superb guessing ability?

Pretty Penny Contest winner right here

When I got home that night, I was really excited.  I told my mom about how I won and showed her all the free swag I got in my VIP bag.  She warned me not to lose my gift cards.  At one point she told me to calm down because I was being hyper and I would just respond with “But I won a thousand dollars!”.

I’ve yet to use any of my winnings yet.  I’m not sure what I should do.  I was thinking I would use it towards my Christmas shopping.  It’s Cadillac Fairview, so it works at Pacific Centre and Richmond Centre so I’m pretty much set.  My friend was saying I could just go to the Apple Store and finally get an iPhone.  But that would use up the whole card.  And I’ve been wanting to buy a new laptop, so my dad said I should just get a Mac from the Apple store.  But that would cost even more than the card.  And then he said “Well you don’t need anymore shoes, and you don’t need anymore clothes…”  He’s right.  But then I don’t need an iPhone or a Mac either.  But we shall see.  I’m really glad I went to this event because it was a lot of fun.  I may fail often in life, but at least that night I got to feel like a winner.

I Am Downtown Shopping Night, Part 1: Cupcakes, Fashion, & VIP Swag Bags

On Wednesday, November 14th, Pacific Centre held their annual I am downtown shopping event.  I hadn’t actually heard about it until this year but now that I know what I’ve been missing out on, I’ll be sure to continue attending in the future.  I was at the food court in Pacific Centre a couple weeks ago with my mom, grabbing a bite to eat before going to the Vancouver Symphony, when I noticed a sign on the table advertising the shopping event.  It intrigued me, but then I forgot about it.  Fortunately, I happened to be at the food court again later that week, getting food before going to the Comedy Mix.  This time, I picked up the sign and googled the event.  I have class on Wednesday nights, but I hadn’t missed one yet, and this seemed like it might be a good enough reason to finally do so.  I thought I would see if anyone was interested in going, and if they were, then I would do it.

I’m so glad I saw this ad in the food court.

I didn’t really know what to expect.  But I knew I wanted to purchase a VIP ticket.  The event was free for anyone, but for $20, you could purchase a VIP ticket that gave you a VIP swag bag filled with samples and coupons, as well as access to the VIP cupcake lounge.  The $20 also went to their partner charity, Coast Mental Health.  There was no reason not to get one.  So I did.

The event ran from 5-9pm, but I arrived after 6pm since I was coming from work.  The swag bag was so worth it.  Best $20 I’ve ever spent.  I got a free umbrella, which was convenient, since I had left mine on the bus just the day before.  I also got a $20 gift card to GUESS, a $5 gift card to Take 5 Cafe, body lotion, a hair product sample, a shoe horn (I know, who even uses those things?), a coupon for a free smoothie at Orange Julius, a Fashion magazine, and an eco bag.  Two eco bags, actually, because there was another bag inside the swag bag.  I also got a $10 shop card for filling out a form that was in my swag bag and redeeming it at Guest Services.

Over by Sears, or should I say where Sears used to be, there was a wheel that you could spin to win prizes.  The first time I spun it, I got an H&M coupon for $5.  Yes, I spun it a couple more times after that, because I could.  We had a few hours so we had time to come back and line up again throughout the night.  I ended up also getting two $5 shop cards from the wheel as well.  I love that wheel.  I wish it was there all the time.  But alas, it was just a one time thing.

My friend and I purchased VIP tickets, but two of my friends did not.  So they couldn’t come into the VIP cupcake lounge with us.  Which was basically an area outside Aritzia with little mini cupcakes from Cupcakes.  So we went in and sampled a few.  And then I took a couple and gave them to my friends after leaving the area.  Apparently the people manning the “lounge” gave me dirty looks as I did so.  But whatever.  I paid for this.  I can share my cupcakes if I want to.  Because I’m a nice person.

Who doesn’t love free cupcakes?

Me and the cupcake tower.

I’m so glad I have a friend who loves cupcakes as much as I do.

Across from the cupcake lounge, there was music playing and a booth from David’s Tea.  They’ll be opening up a location in Pacific Centre some time soon.  They had tea samples for us to try, so I sampled the cocomint cream herbal tea, which was a nice blend of coconut and peppermint.  It was very refreshing and went perfectly with the cupcakes.  The guy there also gave us coupons for a free tea at a David’s Tea location.  I’ll be sure to go redeem it at Oakridge, probably for the cocomint cream.

At 6:30, there was a fashion show just outside of H&M, displaying the men’s and women’s fall fashions of Holt Renfrew and other retailers.  I thought back to when I went to Vancouver Fashion Week, and how skinny the models were.  These ones were super skinny too, but not as extremely so.  In watching this fashion show, I got to achieve one of my goals:  Eating cupcakes in front of models.  I don’t know why, but for some reason getting to do this made me really happy.  The male models were kind of good looking and my friend was sorry she didn’t bring her camera.  I think we got some pretty decent photos with our phones though.

I ate cupcakes while I watched the show.

I really liked this coat and these boots.

I’m sad that this picture came out blurry.

Male models are always nice to look at.

A little black dress is always fashionable.

After the fashion show, we headed downstairs where there was a seminar about how to wear different items of clothing.  You know, in case we couldn’t figure that out on our own.  It was nice because it gave us a chance to sit down.

Listening to the fashion seminar.

And after that, they informed us of the photo shoot area, where we could get our picture taken in front of a Fashion Magazine backdrop.  Two of my friends and I got our photo taken and they gave us each a copy to take home.  We also did individual shoots, which will appear on their website.  I totally felt like a model.  Not necessarily a good model.  But a model, nevertheless.

I so wish this was the actual cover of Fashion Magazine.

There was also a Sweet Court area just below the elevator with various samples.  There were cookies, popcorn, and Orange Julius smoothies.  We went through there several times and my dinner pretty much consisted of cupcakes, cookies, and smoothies.  And a tiny piece of sesame chicken, since there were samples when I walked by the food court.  There were different kinds of cookies and they were all very small, so my friend asked if we could take more than one.  The cookie lady looked upset by this.  The second time I went through, there were only two cookies on her plate, and the two people ahead of me took them.  Instead of taking out more cookies from her box, she just stood there and sort of looked at me.  After I left, she slowly began to put out more.  We didn’t understand why she was rationing them like that.  It was her job to give out samples in order to promote them.  When I saw her put more out, I went back and took one.  Because I deserved it.

There were a lot of sales and promotions going on at the various retailers as well that we were able to check out, but I didn’t actually buy anything that day.  I wasn’t in the mood for shopping at the I am downtown shopping event.  Go figure.  But there was so much else going on that it was okay.

The event was amazing, but the best and most exciting part of the night was yet to come.  Stay tuned to read my next post, I Am Downtown Shopping, Part 2: The Pretty Penny Contest.

Oh, hello red rain boots. I’ve missed you. Did you miss me?

My red Cougar rain boots from Army & Navy

It was sunny for a while.  But not anymore.  It’s over.  It’s all over.  Now there’s just rain, rain, and more rain.  I pulled out my red rain boots last weekend when we had that crazy downpour, and now I’m wearing them once again.  Perhaps I should never take them off, since the rain is showing no signs of stopping.  I’m not a huge fan of the rain.  But my favourite thing about it is that I get to wear these boots.

I want a convertible dress

I love outfits that are convertible.  Versatility and convertibility are amazing qualities for a garment to have.  I remember when I watched Fashion Star, one of my favourite pieces was the convertible skirt that Orly made.  The model walked down the runway, and then undid the zipper around the waist to remove the top part of the skirt, creating a whole different look.  Unfortunately that was the first thing she made, and everything she made thereafter just wasn’t as good.  But the skirt was awesome.

I remember watching an episode of Dragons’ Den where this woman had created a convertible dress.  It was a while ago, so I don’t remember exactly what the styles looked like, but I remember that I thought it was a brilliant idea.  To be able to buy one dress and wear it multiple ways to achieve multiple different looks, who wouldn’t want one of those?

There is also a company called Wrap Magic Skirts which does the same thing.  They have various skirts and dresses which can be worn over 100 different ways.  Their newest creation is the convertible dress, which is the same idea as what I saw on Dragons’ Den, except it’s a different company.  The convertible dress looks amazing.  The website has videos which demonstrate the various ways you can change the look.  They retail for $250.

But as luck would have it, there’s an online deal.  Two actually, one on SwarmJam and one on Deal Getters.  The deal lets you order one for $49.  Taxes and shipping are not included though.  But it’s still a significant reduction from the full retail price.  I am so tempted to buy one.  I can justify it by saying that I’m not paying a lot for just one dress, I’m paying a lot essentially to get multiple dresses.  And a skirt.  Yes, it can also be transformed to be worn as a skirt.

But I’m still debating as to whether I should get it.  I mean I don’t really have an event or occasion that I need it for.  I never really NEED these things.  But I’m sure I’d make good use of it somehow.  Chances are I’d probably find one way of wearing it that I like the most and then constantly wear it that way, defeating the purpose of its versatility.  Or even more likely, I would screw it up somehow, trying desperately to follow the steps from the video but ultimately being unable to achieve the desired look.  Then maybe I’d end up just wearing it as a skirt, unable to figure out the dress styles.  Because I tend to fail at fashion.  But it’s worth a try, right?

 

My main problem is I’m indecisive.  If I do in fact buy one, I have no idea which colour to get.  How do I decide?  If they had a convertible dress that also changes colour, now that would really be something.  That would be the ultimate in versatility.  But alas, there is no such thing.  It would make sense to get black, since a little black dress is an essential part of any wardrobe.  But I think I should get something colourful.  I think I look good in purple.  But I have a couple purple dresses already.  Though none like this.  The blue is really nice too.  Maybe the blue?  But what about the red?  Or the other shade of blue?  Or the green even?  I want them all!

Also, there are two different styles of the dress you can choose from to order.  The first one is really nice, but a lot of the styles are backless, which poses the problem of finding the right bra.  So perhaps the second style would be better.  But I like them both.  Chances are, by the time I make up my mind as to whether to buy it and which one to buy, the deal will have expired or sold out.  And then I will be left with non-buyer’s remorse, which is really an awful feeling.  Because I’m only going to buy one with the deal.  I can’t afford a $250 dress.

What do you think?  Should I get one?  And if so, which colour?

Army & Navy Shoe Sale, Part 2: Crazy

Read Part 1 if you haven’t already.  

The shoppers started rushing in at 8am

As 8 am hit, the sale became open to the public.  The public referring to all the crazy people who had been standing outside, lined up in the rain.  They ran in.  Literally, I saw people running in.  As if they were running to catch a bus or a train or a plane that a loved one was on and they had to stop them to tell them they love them before they leave forever and it’s too late like in one of those romantic comedies.  Yes.  Lucky for me, I was sitting down at that point, so I didn’t get knocked over or stepped on or anything.

The place filled up pretty quickly

I looked around and I could see people everywhere.  It wasn’t safe for me to get up anymore.  If I were to wander away from my seat by just a few steps, I would lose my seat, or worse, my shoes.  Not gonna happen.  It’s okay, looking at the shoes in front of a mirror was not essential.  I could manage.  It was okay.  Everything was fine.  Or at least that’s what I kept telling myself.

I was surrounded by people

I had a problem.  I couldn’t narrow it down.  And as I looked around at all the crazy people around me, I realized something.  I was crazy.  And I hate to admit it, but I think I might have been the craziest person there.  Why?  While everyone else had one basket full of shoes, I had two.  And people commented on it too.  There were two nice ladies I was seated next to who I began to talk to.  And one of them looked at my full baskets and asked “Do you have a limit at all?”.  And I said “Yeah, sort of..”.  And she said “What’s your limit?”.  And I said “I don’t know…”.

There were too many shoes to choose from

We had to be careful too.  Because at this point, employees were walking around, picking up and taking away shoes and baskets that had been discarded.  They would ask if you were done with your stuff, and then take what you didn’t want.  But when approached, everyone becomes so protective of their shoes, as if the employee is a predator threatening to take away their baby.  You don’t want your shoes taken away while you’re still deciding.  There’s no way you’ll be able to find them again.  I would hate to have to work there during the sale.  It must suck.  A lot.

How could I possibly decide?

There were also cameras everywhere.  Like a film crew, recording everything.  I don’t know where exactly that footage will end up.  But I hope the part where I was looking bewildered, trying to spot something on a shelf, then realizing the guy had the camera aimed right at my face is edited out.  Because I know that will not be flattering in the least.  They were also going around interviewing people about the sale.  I overheard this girl ask some women if they would mind being interviewed but they declined.  Because they didn’t want to be distracted from their shoes, no doubt.  I might have done it, had they asked me.  But then didn’t.  All the better, as it gave me more time to focus on my shoes.

I can't believe I filled 2 whole baskets of shoes

I tried them all on, weeded out a few, but still had far too many.  I could eliminate those that were uncomfortable and might cut into the back of my feet or squish my toes.  But somehow there were still a lot that I loved.  This sort of thing never happens.  At least not to this extent.  I can see why people go early.  They get in new shipments everyday, but still, if I went tomorrow instead of today, I wouldn’t have been able to find as many good pairs as I did.

My version of a condensed basket of shoes

We sort of had this sense of camaraderie going, those us sitting in that space with our shoes.  Comparing, saying “Oh you have to get those ones!” and “Those are so cute!” and “Are there any more of those ones?”.  And even offering up some pair every so often.  I had some that were maybes or that I’d discarded, so I let another woman try them on.  And this woman let me try on these boots that she wasn’t sure about, just in case she didn’t buy them.

I lined them all up. I couldn't narrow it down any more than this.

At one point, the woman beside me asked if she could try on a pair of shoes in my basket.  I said, “Oh, those are my shoes,” and she said “But can I just try them?”.  And I had to explain to her that by “my shoes”, I didn’t mean I was going to buy them, I meant that I owned them, that they were the ones I walked into the store with that morning.  I knew that was bound to happen.  I overheard another girl say “My fear is that someone’s going to take the shoes I came in with“.  You and me both, sister.

I carried them to the checkout like this

A little later, I had managed to condense everything into one basket.  I told myself that was my limit.  Whatever I could fit into one basket.  Even if that basket was overflowing, apparently.  At one point I just sort of sat there, staring at them.  I knew I was going to buy them all.  I thought about taking them out and trying on each pair again, just to make sure.  But I knew there was no point.  Like it or not, it was going to happen.

With the shoes on the counter, there was no turning back

So I made my way over to the checkout.  It was now or never.  I felt judgement was upon me, as others had just a few pairs they were holding.  I had eleven.  Yes, eleven.  I just counted them again to make sure I got that right.  They advertise the sale as each pair being under $40.  So naturally, I picked up all the pairs that were $39.99.  I showed some hesitancy at the counter, but I gave in.  At least I had the $100 gift card.  I was hoping the girl might have given me the $500 by mistake, but sadly she did not.  Even with the $100 gift card, I probably still spent more than a lot of people there.  Let’s just say my total was under $500.

My 2 giant bags full of shoes

And so I was handed two large bags full of shoes, and sent on my merry way, filled with shame, excitement, happiness, and regret.  It was a confusing mix of emotions.  A shoe sale can do that to a girl.

Stay tuned for Part 3…